In this section

Gwiller, or Gwithla

GWILLER, or GWITHLA, with Trewern,
a hamlet, in the parish of Llanvihangel-NantMelan, within the liberties of the borough of New
Radnor, union of Kington, county of Radnor,
South Wales, 2 miles (S. W.) from New Radnor;
containing 153 inhabitants. The parochial church is
situated in this hamlet, which occupies a small vale in
the southern portion of the mountainous district called
Radnor Forest, near the source of the Somergill
brook. Here is also the celebrated cascade called
"Water-break-its-neck," which is formed by a stream
rising in the above-mentioned district, and, after its
fall of seventy feet perpendicularly, joins the Somergill. The lower portion of the hamlet is well wooded;
and there is a lake termed Llyn Llanillyn, about
three-quarters of a mile in circumference.

Gwilly (Gwili)

GWILLY (GWILI), with Iscoed, a hamlet, in
the parish of Llanedy, union of Llanelly, hundred
of Carnawllon, county of Carmarthen, South
Wales, 11 miles (N. N. W.) from Swansea: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated on
the left bank of the small river Gwilly or Gwili,
which joins the river Loughor at no great distance.
About 200 yards from the parish church, is a rock
with a curious recess, naturally formed, traditionally
called Gwely-Edi (St. Edith's bed), and superstitiously thought to have been occasionally used by
that saint for repose.

Gwnnws-Isâv

GWNNWS-ISÂV, a township, in the parish of
Llanwnws, union of Trêgaron, upper division of
the hundred of Ilar, county of Cardigan, South
Wales, 10 miles (S. E.) from Aberystwith; containing 488 inhabitants. It is bounded on the north by
the river Ystwith, the scenery on the banks of which
is highly picturesque; and is situated on the road between Aberystwith and Trêgaron: the village consists
only of a few scattered dwellings.

Gwnnws-Uchâv

GWNNWS-UCHÂV, in the county of Cardigan, South Wales.—See Llanwnws.

Gwravog (Gwâr-Hafog)

GWRAVOG (GWÂR-HAFOG), a township,
chiefly in the parish of Llanlleonvel, and partly
in that of Llanavan-Vechan, union and hundred
of Builth, county of Brecknock, South Wales,
5 miles (W. by S.) from the town of Builth; containing 72 inhabitants. The name of this place signifies literally "the summer bank," which is partly descriptive of it. The surface chiefly, however, forms
part of the northern declivity of a well-wooded eminence, a branch of the Eppynt hills, on the northern
side of which flows the river Irvon.

Gwredog

GWREDOG, a chapelry, in the parish of Llantrisaint, hundred of Llyvon, union and county of
Anglesey, North Wales, 2 miles (N. by E.) from
Llanerchymedd; containing 42 inhabitants. This
small chapelry, which consists only of two farms,
is situated in a very retired part of the county, and is
not distinguished by any feature of interest or importance. The living is a perpetual curacy, annexed
to the rectory of Llantrisaint: the rectorial tithes
have been commuted for a rent-charge of £32. 13. 7.
The chapel, dedicated to St. Mary, is a very small
and plain edifice, occupying a solitary situation, almost
inaccessible in winter, and without any road leading
to it. One poor man of this place is eligible to the
almshouses founded at Beaumaris, in 1609, by David
Hughes, who also established the free grammar school
of that place.

Gwyddelwern

GWYDDELWERN, a parish, in the union of
Corwen, hundred of Edeyrnion, county of Merioneth, North Wales; comprising the three
principal divisions of Cwm, Uwch-Avon, and UwchMynydd, and containing 1684 inhabitants: the
village of Gwyddelwern is in the Cwm division,
and occupies a pleasant situation in a small valley,
on the road from Corwen to Ruthin, 3 miles (N.)
from Corwen. This parish comprises 7000 acres, of
which 500 are common or waste land: the quality of
the soil is extremely various. The elevated parts,
forming the greater portion of the parish, command
fine views of the Vale of Edeyrnion, watered by the
river Dee, and of the surrounding country. The
south-western portion is intersected by the road from
Shrewsbury to Holyhead, and the two high roads
from Corwen to Bala: that from Corwen to Ruthin
also passes through the parish, and has been greatly
improved by diverting certain parts, in order to avoid
the hills over which it previously passed. Peat is
procured in the parish, for the consumption of the
inhabitants of the district. The manufacture of flannel is carried on at Cynwyd, a village six miles distant from that of Gwyddelwern, in the Uwch-Avon
division, which is entirely detached from the two other
divisions of the parish. At this village was also anciently held the court for the whole comot of Edeyrnion, which contained thirteen baronies, and had independent manorial rights; but, on a quarrel among
the lords, as it is stated, the records were burnt, and
the courts have been since discontinued. Fairs are
held on April 15th, August 5th, and October 18th.

The living is a discharged vicarage, not rated in
the king's books, endowed with £400 parliamentary
grant, and in the patronage of the Bishop of St.
Asaph: the tithes of the parish have been commuted
for £700, divided into five equal portions, of which
four belong to the vicars choral of St. Asaph, and
the fifth to the incumbent: there is a glebe of five
acres, valued at £6 per annum. The parish church,
dedicated to St. Beuno, is an ancient building,
with a rich eastern window containing some remains
of stained glass: here is also a curious old chandelier
of wood. There are places of worship, in different
parts of the parish, for Calvinistic Methodists, Wesleyan Methodists, Baptists, and Independents; also
nine Sunday schools, all of them supported by the
dissenters. At Gwyddelwern and Cynwyd are day
schools in connexion with the Church. About £9,
the interest of several benefactions, the principal of
which was one of £100 by Mrs. Jones, are distributed
among twenty decayed housekeepers and others; and
two poor old women are annually clothed from Mrs.
Lumley Salusbury's charity at Corwen. On Bettws
mountain, in the Uwch-Mynydd division, are vestiges of an ancient British encampment; and about
three-quarters of a mile south of the village of Gwyddelwern, in a field by the road side, is an artificial
mound surrounded by a fosse, called Tommen-yCastell, together with some tumuli. Near Gwyddelwern is a place called Bryn Saith Marchog, from its
being the spot where Owain Glyndwr surprised
Reginald de Grey and seven knights, whom he made
prisoners; it commands a beautiful view of the small
Vale of Glyn. Above the village of Cynwyd is a
picturesque waterfall.—See Uwch-Avon, &c.

Gwydir

GWYDIR, a township, in the parish and union
of Llanrwst, hundred of Nantconway, county of
Carnarvon, North Wales, on the western bank of
the river Conway, ½ a mile (W.) from Llanrwst; containing 381 inhabitants. The name is a contraction
either of Gwy-dir, "water land," from being subject
to overflowing, or of Gwaed-dir, "the bloody land,"
from this having been the scene of some battles
fought by Llywarch Hên, about the year 610, or
from a sanguinary conflict which occurred, in 952,
between the sons of Hywel Dda and the Princes
Ievav and Iago. The surface of the township is
exceedingly hilly, and within its limits is comprised
the greater part of the vast and lofty mountain called
Moel Siabod, one of the most prominent of the
Snowdonian chain. The tithes have been commuted
for £16. 19. payable to the rector of the parish, and
£85 payable to an impropriator.

The estate of Gwydir comprises 30,000 acres, of
which upwards of 2000 consist of plantations, formed
since 1790, and 500 acres are in lakes, twelve in
number. It includes the whole of this township, and
extends into the parishes of Trêvriw, Llanrhychwyn,
Bettws-y-Coed, and Dôlwyddelan, containing an
abundance of lead-ore, zinc, and pyrites, all worked,
besides four extensive slate-quarries, in active operation. It came into the possession of the family of
Wynne by purchase from a descendant of Howel
Coytmor, grandson of Davydd, brother of Llewelyn
the last Prince of Wales; and continued for several
generations to belong to that family, until it passed,
in the year 1678, into that of the Duke of Ancaster,
by the marriage of Mary, daughter and heiress of Sir
Richard Wynne, with Robert, Marquess of Lindsay.
Priscilla, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, elder
sister of Robert, Duke of Ancaster, having espoused
Sir Peter Burrell, Bart., the mansion and estate of
Gwydir became the property of that gentleman, who,
in 1796, was created Baron Gwydir; and at his death
in 1820, the property descended to his eldest son,
Peter Robert Drummond Burrell, second Lord Gwydir, and present Lord Willoughby de Eresby.

The ancient mansion was situated beneath the
wood-clad rock called Carreg-y-Gwalch, or "the
rock of the falcon." It was built by John Wynne
ab Meredydd, in 1555, and consisted of a greater and
a lesser court, but was taken down in 1816, since
which time the present structure, on a much smaller
scale, has been erected: a small portion of the former
mansion still remains, and has been fitted up in an
antique and elegant style. The grounds are laid out
with corresponding judgment and taste. In the
plantations above the Lower Gwydir stood another
edifice called the Upper Gwydir, which was pulled
down some time ago, and the walls of which were
almost covered with inscriptions. It was erected in
1604, by Sir John Wynne (who distinguished himself by his partiality to antiquarian researches, and
by compiling the memoirs of his family), as a kind
of summer-house, embracing a fine prospect of the
rich and beautiful Vale of Conway, and of the
picturesque scenery with which this mountainous
district abounds. Near its site stands a small handsome chapel, built by Sir Richard Wynne in 1673,
and improved by the present noble possessor of the
estate, whose domestic chaplain performs divine
service in it, every Sunday, in the English language, which affords great accommodation to the
numerous English families resident in the neighbourhood. Carreg-y-Gwalch was the retreat of
Davydd ab Shenkin, a noted partisan of the house
of Lancaster, who for some time concealed himself in
a cave, called from that circumstance Ogov Davydd
ab Shenkin. Mr. Pennant says that the "noblest
oaks in all Wales grew on this rock, within memory
of man," although it is "totally destitute of earth for
a considerable way, so that the nutriment which the
oaks received must have been derived from the deep
penetration of the roots, through the fissures of the
stones, into some nutritive matter."

Gwyndy (Gwin-Dy, or Gwyn-Dy)

GWYNDY (GWIN-DY, or GWYN-DY), a
chapelry, in the parish of Llandrygarn, hundred
of Llyvon, union and county of Anglesey, North
Wales, 11 miles (E. by S.) from Holyhead, and 15
miles (W. by N.) from Bangor; containing 77 inhabitants. It formerly constituted part of the parish
of Holyhead, and is considered to be situated halfway between that port and Menai suspension bridge,
though somewhat nearer the former.

Gwynve (Gwinfai)

GWYNVE (GWINFAI), a hamlet, in the parish
of Llangadock, poor-law union of Llandovery,
Lower division of the hundred of Perveth, county
of Carmarthen, South Wales, 4½ miles (S. S. W.)
from Llangadock town; containing 1109 inhabitants.
Some consider the name of this place to be a compound derived from Gwyn (white) and Banau (peaks),
as there are some peaks in the hamlet which remain
covered with snow, when it is not to be seen in all
the adjacent country. The hamlet is situated on
elevated ground between Trichrig and the western
division of the Black Mountains, from which the
Clydach and Sawdde-Vechan streams descend, and
join the Sawdde on the northern confines of Gwynve.
It contains within its limits a seat of the same name.
There are limestone-quarries of great celebrity, the
lime burnt here being regarded as the most enriching
to the soil of any in the principality, and being supplied in great quantities to the counties of Carmarthen, Glamorgan, and Brecknock. The chapel here
was formerly a chapel of ease to the church of Llangadock, but was detached many years since, and
raised into an independent perpetual curacy, though
without any district annexed to it. The living is
endowed with £1000 royal bounty, and £800 parliamentary grant; net income, £107; patron, the
Vicar of Llangadock.

Gwynvil

GWYNVIL, a township, in the parish of Llandewy-Brevi, union of Trêgaron, Lower division of
the hundred of Penarth, county of Cardigan,
South Wales, 6¾ miles (N. E. by N.) from Lampeter; containing 366 inhabitants. A chapel, dedicated to St. Gwynvil, which formerly existed here,
is now in ruins. The tithes have been commuted
for a rent-charge of £78. There are a few respectable and ornamental residences overlooking the vale
of the Teivy.

Gwytherin

GWYTHERIN, a parish, in the union of
Llanrwst, hundred of Isaled, county of Denbigh,
North Wales, 6 miles (E. S. E.) from Llanwrst;
comprising the Upper and Lower divisions, and
containing 403 inhabitants. In this parish, which is
situated in the mountainous district of the county,
are the sources of the rivers Elwy, Aled, and Alwen,
upon the first of which, about two miles below its
source, the village is pleasantly seated. The parish
comprises 3559 acres, whereof about 2000 are common or waste. The surface of the surrounding
country is diversified, and in many parts the scenery
is highly picturesque: within the parish are three
noble lakes, Llyn Alwen, Llyn Moelvre, and Llyn
Aled, the last of which is inclosed on almost every
side by mountains covered with dark and barren
heath. St. Winifred is said to have retired hither on
the death of Beuno, and to have placed herself under
the protection of St. Elerius, who at that time was
living in devotional seclusion at this sequestered
village, where, finding a convent of nuns under the
superintendence of Theonia, she assumed the veil,
and after some years' residence became abbess, on
the death of her predecessor.

The living is a discharged rectory, rated in the
king's books at £6. 12. 1.; patron, the Bishop of St.
Asaph: the incumbent's tithes have been commuted
for a rent-charge of £160, and the parish-clerk receives £5 annually from the same source; there is a
glebe-house. The church, dedicated to St. James,
or, as some with probability assert, to St. Gwytherin,
who lived in the latter part of the sixth century, is a
spacious and ancient structure, but in a very dilapidated condition. In it were deposited the mortal
remains of Theonia and of St. Winifred, which latter
were removed, after a lapse of 500 years from her
death, to Shrewsbury: the wooden chest in which
these were preserved is still kept; and in the churchyard are four upright stones, marking the site of her
grave, one of which is inscribed, and ornamented
with a scroll and running foliage. There is also a
very ancient gravestone, ornamented with a cross
fleury and chalice, and bearing an inscription now
almost illegible. Of the chapel of St. Winifred,
on the south side of the church, there is not a single
vestige, nor can any traces be discovered of the convent over which she is said to have presided. The
Calvinistic Methodists have two places of worship,
with a Sunday school held in each of them. The
interest arising from some bequests amounting to
£63, is annually distributed among the poor of the
parish, on St. Thomas's day, together with a rentcharge of £1 on Caerllwyn farm, bequeathed by
Anne Lloyd, of Plâs Madog; and one of 6s. by
Alice Lloyd on Brynton farm.

Gyffylliog

GYFFYLLIOG, county of Denbigh, North
Wales.—See Cyfeiliog.

Gyfin

GYFIN, a parish, in the union of Conway,
hundred of Llêchwedd-Isâv, county of Carnarvon, North Wales; adjoining Conway (S. by W.),
and containing 635 inhabitants. This parish is intimately connected with the borough of Conway.
A memorable battle took place in or near the parish,
in 880, between the forces of Anarawd, Prince of
North Wales, and those of Edred, Earl of Mercia,
the former of whom was completely victorious, driving
the Mercians from the field of battle, and finally
expelling them from the principality. The victory
was called "Dial Rhodri," or "Roderic's revenge,"
in consequence of Anarawd having thus fully avenged
the slaughter of his father Roderic in a descent of the
Saxons upon Anglesey. The spot where this important and bloody engagement was fought was a low
tract of land called Cymryd, bordering upon the
river Conway. The parish is traversed by the road
to Llanrwst, and takes its name from the small river
Gyfin, on which the village is pleasantly situated,
near the confluence of that stream with the Conway.
From its proximity to the port of Conway, it shares
in all the commercial advantages of that town, of
which, indeed, it may be considered as forming an
integral part. The living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with £400 royal bounty, and £1600 parliamentary grant; net income, £115; patron, the Dean
of Bangor. The church, dedicated to St. Benedict,
is in a state of substantial repair, and contains an
early English font, and an early English doorway of
considerable elegance: it is beautifully situated in a
narrow part of the valley, distant about three-quarters
of a mile south-by-west from Conway. There is a
place of worship for Calvinistic Methodists, with a
Sunday school held in it. The parish has (or had)
the advantage of an endowment of £5 per annum
left by the Rev. John Jones, Dean of Bangor, in
1719, for the education of twelve children in the
principles of the Church; and there are some trifling
charitable donations and bequests for distribution
among the poor, amounting to about £2 annually.
A day school, which is supported by subscriptions
and school-pence, was established in the adjoining
parish of Llangelynin, in 1844, for the benefit in part
of the children of Gyfin. John Gibson, the distinguished sculptor, was born at Gyfin in 1791.